Memento Mori, Remember Death will come.

For this topic, let’s imagine how we’d like to “leave this mortal coil,” to “make our exit,” or to “start pushing up the daisies.” The chapter reading for this week gives us ample examples and suggestions, a kind of blueprint, for how we could image this. These range from the personally eccentric examples laid out in the “Going out BIG” section, to the monumental markers on an architectural scale laid out in the section on “Ego,” or would you prefer to be physically preserved forever for all to see?

These are just some starting points to get you inspired- you don’t have to answer these questions, they are meant to fire up some ideas within your brainstorming.

• Are there special items that you’d like to accompany your corpse? Maybe it’s that favorite light saber, lucky hat, wedding ring, your baseball card collection, an important religious object, or that 1967 Chevy Camero with white leather interior?
• Do you want to share your (cremated) remains among your loved ones? What should they do with them—put them in amulets on chains, in an urn on the mantle, or resting in more traditional place like a cemetery?
• Or would you select a burial, in your favorite car perhaps, in a custom Kane Kwei-style coffin shaped like a chicken, or in a giant crypt with your favorite 60” television, with a full bar and a butler, or with any of the other things you need in the afterlife?
• Do you want a ritualized celebration honor with fireworks, dancing, or the Pope, or any other religious figure’s, blessing?

These examples are all rooted in ancient traditions, the art of which is covered in this chapter, that predate our contemporary traditions. Keep in mind that these scenarios are imaginary, so be as creative as possible.

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Provide the following for your summary:

1. Describe your idea of how you would like to orchestrate your end of life ceremony.
   1. List a minimum of 3 specific ideas that are personal and individually tailored to the person you are.
2. Provide specific examples of how your ideas are related to the art of this specific section of the textbook.
   1. All of your ideas must be related to an example from the week’s chapter reading. Describe how something you learned this week relates to the three personalized ideas listed above remember to be specific.
   2. Provide the image embedded within your discussion.
3. Your summary must use this template below:

Your overall description

1. Your ideas

a. The example from the textbook that relates to this idea, describe how it relates.

b. Image

2. Your ideas

a. The example from the textbook that relates to this idea, describe how it relates.

b. Image

3. Your ideas

a. The example from the textbook that relates to this idea, describe how it relates.

b. Image

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Here is an example from a recently deceased pet in my family. Milli, our basset hound was 15 years old when she died a few months ago. For your summary, make sure to provide images.

1. She is buried in the back yard, where family can visit anytime. It’s a quiet space, with other pets that have passed, which is a “community” gathering place, like a traditional cemetery.

a. Traditional cemetery

2. We buried her wrapped in a favorite dog blanket, with a bacon chew toy, and sage. These are things she may need in the afterlife and objects that she enjoyed in life.

a. Ancient Egyptians/ Qin Shi Huang’s tomb (terra cotta warriors)

3. There is a memorial on my bookshelf, with ofrendas: a toy, a flower, some treats

a. Day of the Dead remembrances

4. We have an annual memorial planned for the future.

a. Dogon dama funeral; anniversary rituals

5. We saved some dog hair and placed it in a special container to hold onto a physical part of Milli to maintain a sense continued connection.

a. Reliquary that houses a physical part of the deceased

WRITTEN SUMMARY REQUIREMENTS:

1. Provide the information in the numbered format above.
2. CITE sources, if you use them (it is not necessary to use another source other than your text book). Your submission will be scanned through for originality. I will use this data to inform your grade. If you do not cite, it will “appear” that plagiarism is taking place.
3. Limit your Summary to one page. Exceeding WILL result in a grade drop.
4. Must be submitted as a pdf file.